Expert: liznarr - 7/30/2007

Question
I have a will with a legal description.  I cannot find anywhere that will give me a clue how to read it.  It's an old type that says "S 86 W 192 feet to a hickory, thense S 55 E 210 feet" etc.  Is it possible to draw a layout of this property using this information?  What does the S 86 W mean.  I understand that is South 86 degrees West for  192 feet.  But 86 degrees from what?  There is no latitude or anything just a tree marking the beginning point.  This is not a very popular subject on the net and I can't find anything.  Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
Chris

Answer
Hi Chris,

Possibly the reason you were not finding any help on the internet is that you might not have typed in the words “Metes and Bounds,” as this is the type of survey system you are describing.

Yes, you can draw a layout of the property using the information provided in the Will by using a protractor and a ruler to draw the angles and distances.  

There is also software available for this, but if you have any problem after reading my answer and analyzing some of the links provided below, I would suggest you take your legal description to a surveyor’s office and ask what they would charge to do a drawing for you.

Your baseline benchmark, so to speak, using a protractor and a ruler, is going to be a right angle drawing (as in an “L”).  The vertical line of the “L” would be zero degrees North.  The horizontal line of the “L” would be 90 degrees East.  

To draw South and West measurements, you simply make the “L” into, say, a cross (+) and measure either West or South of the center point of the cross.

I’m copying some web sites below that will explain more for you and will give you some insight into the metes and bounds survey system.  It is a fascinating topic, and yours was a very interesting question.  You can find additional sites by going to Google or Yahoo and typing in keywords “metes and bounds” and also try adding additional words such as “survey.”

http://www.outfitters.com/genealogy/land/crain.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metes_and_bounds

You can also go to your county courthouse to the Clerk of Court’s office (Register of Mesne Conveyances in some states, or RMC office) and … using the owner(s) names in the deed … check to see if there is a plat of record at the Courthouse.  If so, just ask for a copy of the plat and pay whatever small fee they might charge. The staff in the county offices will be able to help you look up the plat with ownership information you provide.

I hope the above information is helpful.

Good luck to you, and feel free to write again if you have additional questions.

Regards,
Elizabeth